On October 9-11, 2025, a seminar on “Challenges of future schools” of the EZA Education Platform Working Group was held in Warsaw, devoted to social dialogue in education and the challenges of the school of the future. The meeting was attended by 34 representatives of workers’ organisations, was organised by KK NSZZ "Solidarność" (Komisja Krajowa NSZZ "Solidarność") in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union.
The meeting was opened by Jerzy Jaworski, Deputy Chairman of the National Trade Union of Independent Workers „Solidarność” (KK NSZZ Solidarność), who welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance and necessity of discussing the changes needed in education in the face of new social, demographic, and ideological challenges.
Next, the participants were welcomed by Dr Waldemar Jakubowski, Chairman of the National Section of Science and Education of NSZZ Solidarność, who referred to changes related to digitization, dependence on social media, and negative consequences such as lack of focus and concentration, which lead to a decline in the level of teaching. There are also shortages in the labour market, particularly in the construction industry, but also among teachers. He also referred to a hot topic in Poland, namely the introduction of the optional subject of "health education," which is controversial due to its ideological nature. He emphasized that at the same time, religion and ethics classes are being limited, weakening Christian values, while encouraging the presentation of the situation in other EU countries participating in the meeting. Next, the moderator of the meeting, Elżbieta Wielg, an expert from KK NSZZ "Solidarność," welcomed the participants, presented the topic, and outlined the meeting's agenda.
The first presentation was given by Adrian Jimenez, Secretary of the Federación de Enseñanza de la Unión Sindical Obrera (FEUSO) from Spain, where the vision of the school of the future is based on: 1. inclusive, high-quality education, 2. student mobility that promotes cultural exchange and knowledge sharing between European countries, 3. the development of digital skills, and 4. lifelong learning. The Spanish education system has made significant progress in terms of student achievement and curriculum development, but challenges remain in terms of equal access to education and ensuring the inclusion of all students. Continuous training helps teachers stay up to date with the latest educational strategies and use of technology, and professional development allows teachers to confidently use digital tools to improve classroom teaching. He identified limited funding as a major problem, restricting investment in key areas such as infrastructure, technology, and education, which hinders economic growth and affects the modernization of technology and teacher training, which are crucial for educational transformation. There are significant differences in access to the internet and technology in different regions, which affects the opportunities available to many people.
The second presentation was given by Prof. Amelia Mestre, Executive Secretary of the Federação dos Trabalhadores Democrata-Cristãos (FTDC) from Portugal. Creating an education system that is prepared for the future is a key challenge for Portugal. As part of the strategic vision for the European education area, the country has made significant progress, including a dramatic decline in the percentage of early school leavers and high student performance in international rankings. However, this progress is hampered by significant structural barriers: a crisis in the teaching profession, staff shortages, chronic underfunding of integration and infrastructure modernization, and an unprecedented demographic challenge associated with the integration of a record number of migrant students. In addition to their negotiating activities, trade unions are among the largest providers of lifelong learning for teachers. Training centres affiliated with trade unions, accredited by the Scientific and Pedagogical Council for Continuing Education, train thousands of teachers every year in various fields, from digital skills to inclusive education, which has a direct impact on the quality of teaching practices. There is a shortage of special education teachers, even though they work at every stage of education.
Next, Yulian Petrov, President the Trade Union “Education” (SEP) at the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour presented the principles of the school of the future in Bulgaria. The basis is technological integration, personalized learning, a new supportive environment such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) centres, and a change in the management model in education. He also pointed to a number of challenges, including a perceived undermining of the authority of teachers and broader societal developments affecting values and education. He emphasized the important role of parents, noting that the values of young people are changing, which is one of the reasons why a subject on “values and religion” was introduced. Teachers are also expected to contribute shaping character and appropriate values. In Bulgaria, teachers are encouraged to work with modern technology and artificial intelligence. However, as in many countries, there is a shortage of teachers and in some cases they have to work until the age of 70.
The next day began with Dr Maciej Jakubowski, Director of the Educational Research Institute - State Research Institute from Poland, who gave a presentation on proposed changes to the core curriculum in kindergartens and primary schools. The work on the new core curriculum was related to the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed for over 26 weeks. These core curricula are evolutionary, not revolutionary. Training for teachers and support for schools in this area will be provided. There will be an emphasis on deep learning and the ability to solve real-world problems, including outside of school. Twenty-two core curricula have been created for each subject, with 200 authors and 90 reviewers working on them. Emphasis has been placed on fundamental competences, i.e., linguistic, mathematical, motor, and digital, as well as cross-cutting competences, including cognitive, social, and personal, i.e., critical thinking and problem solving. Great emphasis will also be placed on agency, i.e., the ability to take action and take responsibility for it, because this is currently lacking. The school of the future is not a school where computers think for students; teachers will always be needed, and online learning is considered less effective as face-to-face teaching. In the speaker's opinion, scientific research and educational indicators measuring learning outcomes, such as PISA, are important in order to have a point of reference. While such benchmarks are met in Poland, they are not sufficient to conclude that education is fully effective, and not just instructional.
Next, via the Zoom platform, Andrzej Danilkiewicz, President of the Polish Digital Society, gave a presentation. He talked about two projects: industry education and the Polish Digital Resilience Agenda 2040. He presented research showing that approximately 40% of jobs will cease to exist as a result of digitization and robotization over the next 25 years. One project focuses on aligning fields of study with the labour market needs and priority areas. It examines which services and professions are not needed by the general population and for which it does not make sense to open a specific classes or study programmes, as well as those that are in high demand. The second project aims to show how the educational services market will change by 2040 as a result of IT activities. It notes the problem of children's mental health and the decline of social relations and proposes a return to the master-apprentice concept. There is a slowly emerging trend of phasing out humanities courses and transferring them to secondary school level. It also notes changes in education towards seeking out and identifying talent. The proposed concept of “Trade Unions 2.0” presented by the speaker consists of taking action before a problem arises, i.e. presenting one's own ideas before a problem occurs, rather than reacting afterwards.
Next was Ismail Varoshi, a work educator at the Independent Albanian Trade Union of Food, Agriculture, Trade and Tourism (SAUATT) in Albania. As a candidate country, Albania has taken steps to align its legislation with EU requirements. However, schools remain underfunded and there are shortages of staff and equipment. Traditional teaching methods predominate and there are significant differences between urban and rural areas, with a lack of modern digital solutions in education. Competence standards at the high school level are still not in line with EU requirements. The education reform aims to reverse these trends through the development of Erasmus+ programs. Another problem is the lack of alignment of education with labour market requirements and the lack of research funding. There is a need for more public funding, compulsory work placements, and international partnerships such as Horizon Europe. To this end, quality control needs to be strengthened. The new law on higher education is intended to ensure consistency with EU education standards. A new National Qualifications Framework (NQF) has been created, thanks to which diplomas will be recognized throughout Europe.
Representatives from Serbia spoke about education in their country, emphasizing the strong focus on digitization, digital skills, and international teacher exchanges. As a candidate country for EU membership, Serbia participates in European initiatives aimed at aligning national legislation with EU legislation, such as Erasmus+. There is a problem of bullying and even violence involving dangerous objects in schools. There is also a lack of respect for teachers, and their authority is declining. This issue was further discussed and confirmed as a problem for all countries participating in the meeting. In Italy, there is a ban on bringing mobile phones to school, which applies to students and teachers, as well as regulations on appropriate clothing for students. Funds from the National Recovery Plan were mainly allocated to school renovations. This was followed by a discussion and exchange of experiences, with topics such as the declining number of students due to demographic changes and the decline in teachers’ authority. Excessive bureaucracy, low salaries, and job insecurity do not encourage teachers to pursue the teaching profession. Other problems and ways of solving them systematically were also discussed.
The last day began with identifying actions that trade unions could take in the future at various levels, particularly in terms of investment and greater spending on education. This is linked to the country's overall economic development strategy. Topics for the EZA education platform's work in the coming years were discussed. The role of migration and migrant integration in education was chosen as the topic for 2026. Two meetings linked to the EZA migration platform will be held in Italy and Poland at the end of May. It was agreed that representatives from Italy, Spain, Poland, and Greece should be invited to the next seminar. For 2027, the role of social dialogue in teachers’ salary negotiations and an in-depth look at inclusive and special education were proposed. The proposals for topics, issues, and thematic areas submitted by the meeting participants were summarized, and the meeting was concluded.